Review: Twisted Dune Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to check out the back nine at Twisted Dune, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is the shortest of the course's four par 5s, but at 540 yards it's not exactly a driver–long iron sort of par 5. The tee shot's quite intimidating, since the fairway is partially hidden by sand and scrub. There's plenty of space out there, but you just can't see a lot of it. The second shot, if you're laying up, is to a fairly narrow stretch of fairway squeezed by native areas and bunkers, then the third shot is slightly uphill to a small green protected on both sides by sand. The right-side bunkers are especially nasty.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a long par 4 at 460 yards, but it's not actually that difficult a hole. It plays slightly downhill and the fairway's wide, plus there are no fairway bunkers. Then the second shot is a mid iron or something similar to a long, narrow, undulating green with several yards of fairway surrounding it. The only bunker on the hole is behind the green, and when the hole's in the front, it really doesn't come into play.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is the third par 5 in four holes, and the last one at Twisted Dune. The fairway is bunkerless off of the tee, and wider than it looks from the tee. The second shot is the most interesting shot; if you don't get far enough you'll have to contend with a cluster of bunkers about 100 yards from the green. They sit in the middle of the fairway, which isn't something you see every day. The green is tilted from back right to front left, and there's a bunker left, but it's open otherwise.

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is just under 200 yards, and it's a unique one. The green is very large and the most undulating on the course. There are two large bunkers left, and a pond right. The green is long but not particular wide, and the hazards pinch in closely on both sides, so precision is important. If you come up a bit short, you may still hit the green but have a very long putt that you could easily three putt. I like the hole, though I'm not hugely fond of the pond. If there were more bunkers like the ones on the left, I'd like it a lot more.

The thirteenth hole.

The fourteenth hole is a mid-length par 4 that plays along the same pond as the thirteenth. The fairway is wide, but the penalty for missing the fairway is very steep, since there's water right and another pond left just over the property line and out of view behind the dunes. A 3 wood is probably enough to get you a short iron for the second shot. The green is on the large side and has two distinct tiers, with the right side significantly higher than the left. 

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is another mid-length par 4 playing to a blind fairway. It's a wide fairway, and if you get far enough you can get past the crest of the hill and onto a downslope. Some big drives are possible on this hole. I like the second shot a lot, a downhill wedge or short iron to a green sharply sloped from back to front at the bottom of a big amphitheater. This is one green you really don't want to go over.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is a formidable 215 yard par 3 that plays over a crater of scrub. There's space to come up short, especially if you go left, but it's still a tough long iron. Those bunkers left aren't much better either, since they're singularly lacking in sand, according to my brother. He said the cart paths had more sand than the bunker. So that's something for the course to look into. The green is big and is sloped from back to front, making it receptive to those long irons.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is 410 yards, and it plays to a wide fairway that slopes from right to left. It's a pretty easy tee shot. The second shot is not so easy, however. The short iron is to an elevated green fronted by bunkers and scrub, especially on the right side. Missing short right is a death sentence, essentially. The green is medium sized and surrounded by more scrub and trees.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole might be a gigantic par 4, weighing at 495 yards, but at least it doesn't go full cliché and have water going down the entirety of one side. Actually, there's no water at all, and the fairway might be the widest on the course. Certainly there isn't much trouble save for one bunker left. The second is a different story. The green is narrow and semiblind, partially hidden by a bunker-filled ridge on the right. There are even more bunkers left; all told, there's 11 bunkers within 50 yards of the green. You might be smart to play this one as a three-shot hole; laying up short of the bunkers should guarantee you make a 5 at worst. 

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

Considering Rees Jones's reputation, I'm fairly confident in saying that Twisted Dune is probably better off from having the amateur architect design it. I like the aesthetic of the course a lot, it looks good. The faux dunes are done well. However, I would have liked it more if they'd been a bit more incorporated into the design. Basically every hole plays into a valley surrounded on both sides by hills covered in fescue and small pine trees. There's a lot of blind shots involved in links golf, but this course only has a couple. I would have liked to have seen more, pun very much intended. Maybe it would have been controversial and divisive, but as it stands, I feel like Twisted Dune played things a bit safe. Also, and this has nothing to do with the actual course design, but air flow is a problem when you're playing here. Being down below the dune line, you're not exposed to the wind, and when it's 85 degrees and incredibly humid, it's nice having a bit of a breeze. You don't get that here, not as much as you could. That's a problem a professional probably would have seen coming, so the whole amateur architect thing was a bit of a mixed bag. There is value in hiring an expert.

In terms of value, Twisted Dune is on the cheaper side for Atlantic City at $75 on a weekday morning, which isn't too bad, since that included a cart. I wish they'd knock off some money for people who walked, but that's just the way it is at some places. So, would I play here again? I can't say I wouldn't be willing to, but this wouldn't be my first choice if I'm in the area again.